Artichokes

Growing up, artichokes were a big treat in the Spring.

With the weather turning hotter but the evenings still enjoyable, before the on-set of oppressive summer heat here on the Gulf Coast that keeps you inside until October, my mother would make them for dinner and we would take them onto the back porch and eat them by the pool...leaf by leaf...talking and laughing...about nothing really...listening to the crickets and the distant rumble of thunder that would bring the steamy rain.  She worked always, so it was enjoyable to have her all to myself, and those times were really savored and special to me, and still are.

I still eat artichokes with my mother, but now I make them for HER, the back porch and pool are mine, and MY daughter joins us.  Talk about savored and special...these really are the best of times  :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

1 globe artichoke per person
1 lemon, cut in half
a wedge of parmesan cheese (both for eating and grating)
kitchen scissors

Sauces for dipping:  it's most popular to have them with a lemony butter sauce, but my mother likes blue cheese dressing and I like to dip them in buttermilk ranch dressing.  Buy your favorites.

** (If making butter sauce:  combine some melted butter, a pinch of garlic powder, and a squeeze of fresh lemon.  Mix together.)

Cut the bottom stem off the artichoke. 

Then cut the top off so that it's flat, not pointed.
Now go around each leaf with your scissors and trim off the pointy tip.  Rub the cut side of the lemon over the top so it doesn't turn brown.

In a large pot, let water just come up to a slow rolling boil, squeeze the lemons into the water and place in pot with artichokes.

Turn down heat and let simmer, covered, for approx. 50 minutes.  They will be done when you can insert a knife into the bottom easily with no resistance.

Drain in a colander and let sit upside down for a few minutes to drain and to cool down so you can handle them.  Place on plate with sauce(s) for dipping.  

I like mine with some parmesan cheese on the side, and a cold rose'

If you've never eaten them before and don't know how, that's okay:  pull off one leaf, dip into sauce, and pull the bottom meaty part between your teeth.  The closer you get to the middle, the more tender the leaves will be and sometimes you can eat the whole thing.  When you run out of leaves, you will get to the choke--it's bristly and thistley and needs to go away!  Scoop it out with a spoon...and there you have it...the promised land.  What all your hard work was for...the heart.  Aptly named because it's the sweetest and best part :) 

artichoke heart

*first published May, 2019

Brunch Casserole: baked pasta with smokey bacon & peas

 

A pasta casserole of thick cut smoky bacon, baby peas, and parmesan cream sauce, baked in the oven until crispy on top and bubbly hot and gooey on the inside, finished with cracked black pepper.  My daughter says it "gives carbonara"--and she's right it does, but without the hassle.  

This is good on it's own as a light lunch, but paired with a platter of scrambled eggs and chives, and some store-bought pastries and fruit, it's the easiest thing you can do for a Mothers Day brunch, and she will love you.

And because of the carbonara vibes, it goes amazingly well with a pitcher of bloody marys--just sayin' :)

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED

1 pound round pasta, such as ziti rigate or small rigatoni

6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into lardons

1 jar of your favorite alfredo sauce

1/2 bag (approx 8 ounces) frozen baby peas

1/2 onion, chopped

parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 stick butter, cut into indiv pats, plus a little more to grease the pan

salt/cracked black pepper/garlic powder

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 casserole dish with butter.

Cook pasta until just al dente--it will continue to cook in the oven and you don't want it to be mushy.  While that's cooking...

Fry bacon, drain grease except for 1 tbs. and set aside.  In this pan, saute onion in 1 tbs bacon grease.  When browned, add jar of sauce, some white wine and chicken broth (how much is up to you, it depends on how wet your casserole to be.  I'd start with a half cup of wine and 3/4 cup broth and go from there).  Cook on low heat until warmed through and the flavors come together.

When pasta is ready, drain and place in buttered casserole dish, and lightly sprinkle salt/pepper/garlic powder over the top.  Add frozen peas, bacon and sauce, mix until combined.  Sprinkle generously with grated parmesan, and put pats of butter over the top. 

Bake for 40 minutes:  15 minutes covered, and 25 minutes uncovered.

Serve, seasoned with finishing salt and pepper as necessary--

Mango Salsa

This refreshing mango salsa goes with all the grilled meats, so no matter what you're serving, it works like a charm.  You can serve it all summer--

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

2 or 3 mangos, diced
1/4 of a red onion, diced
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
juice of 1 lime, plus another lime reserved for finishing (2 limes)
1 red bell pepper, chopped

salt/pepper

 my jalapeno plant

Stir all in bowl and chill in refrigerator.  Before eating, stir and season with a little salt and pepper to taste, and another squeeze of fresh lime juice. 

Last night I served it with grilled fish ~

* first published March 2020

Pineapple Jalapeno Margarita

 

You can make a pitcher of these for a crowd, or just a single drink for yourself.  Or a pitcher for yourself, nobody's judging.

 

They have a sweet, salty, spicy heat that screams summer, but with an unexpected, mischievous twist.  And tequila.  Really, do you need any more convincing? 

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

1  59-ounce container of "Pineapple Orange" juice (I use Dole—it lives in the refrigerated section of my grocery store, by the produce)

1 1/2 or 2 cups of your favorite tequila

1 or 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, unseeded, sliced into thicker wheels 

fresh pineapple, cut in bite-size chunks

kosher salt

ice

pitcher

Note:  I garnish each drink by itself, because if you add the sliced jalapenos to the pitcher, the drink becomes too spicy as it sits, and the pineapple will break apart.

Mix container of juice and tequila in pitcher and keep cold until ready to serve.

Rim glass with salt, pour drink over ice, add jalapeno slices and pineapple to your drink and serve.

* first published 5/24

Oven Pasta Bake: chicken, radicchio, mushrooms, & fontina

On Sundays at my house, we eat dinner early so we can get ready for the week ahead.  I like to make this in the afternoon, and set it out with plates and silverware in the kitchen--it can be eaten as a late lunch and again later if you're still hungry.  We serve ourselves, and everyone eats when they want to.  It also comes together quickly so it's a great weeknight meal.

The variations on this are endless.  If you want to be totally decadent, you can add crumbled blue cheese when you mix it before baking, but it's so rich I only do it when we're eating it with other dishes. I've also substituted peas and cooked bacon for the spinach and chicken, and found that it's an excellent side dish if you leave out the chicken entirely.  In every way, it's good with a dry white wine :)

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1 lb. box of pasta (bowtie or ziti rigate), cooked and set aside 

2 small heads radicchio, sliced in ribbons like you would for coleslaw

1 lb. mushrooms, sliced

1 jar of your favorite alfredo sauce

fontina cheese, grated (approx 2 cups)

parmesan cheese (the green can is fine for this)

1 bag fresh spinach

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken broth

approx 3 tablespoons butter, plus more for the pan

the breast of one whole rotisserie chicken, shredded

salt/pepper/garlic powder

9x13 baking pan (if you have one of those aluminum disposable ones, even better)

shredded radicchio

Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter your baking pan.

In a deep-sided skillet, saute mushrooms, spinach, and radicchio in butter until mushrooms are browned and vegetables are wilted a little.  Add alfredo sauce and mix.  Add some white wine and chicken broth to the jar, cover, and shake to get the remainder of the sauce.  Add to the pan and simmer on low to marry the flavors, this is your sauce. Sprinkle with salt/pepper/and garlic powder to taste.

When everything is cooked down and incorporated:  add pasta, half of the fontina cheese, shredded chicken, and the sauce to the baking pan and mix so that all is incorporated evenly.  Sprinkle the remainder of the fontina on top with parmesan cheese to cover.  

ready for the oven

Bake uncovered for approx 45-60 minutes, until hot all the way through.  The top will be crusty and the inside will be moist and delicious.  If you don't want a crusty top, bake it covered.

Serve on a plate with more parmesan, salt, and pepper

Spicy White Chicken Chili

                     

Enjoying the winter weather isn't always about hot chocolate and plaid blankets ;) 

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

SERVES 6

This whole pot of chili takes maybe an hour, including cooking time.  So easy-- 

Olive Oil
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts--cut into bite size pieces
2  1/2 teaspoons Cumin
2  1/2 teaspoons Chili Powder
2  1/2 teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon dried Oregano
salt/cracked pepper
butter
2 small yellow onions, diced
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 small cans (4 ounces each) fire roasted and diced green chilies
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 + 3 = 7 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup salsa verde
2 teaspoons Sriracha
2  15.5 ounce cans white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 1/2 cups white rice
garnish:  chopped green onions, freshly shredded Monterey Jack cheese (not pre-packaged, it doesn't melt as well)


Cook rice:  use 3 cups chicken broth and 1 1/2 cups white rice

Drizzle olive oil and melt one tablespoon butter in large soup pot/dutch oven.
Combine the chicken with cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder in a large bowl.  Add chicken to the pot and saute until almost done. Remove from pot and set aside.

Heat another tablespoon butter in the pot, add onions and cook until tender.
Add minced garlic and green chilies into the pot.  Stir together and cook for a few minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions, stir, and cook briefly for a few minutes.  Add remaining 4 cups chicken broth one cup at a time, stirring each time until smooth.
Add the salsa verde, sriracha, oregano, and beans to the pot.  Allow the mixture to come back up to a simmer and add the chicken back to the pot.  Simmer for a few minutes on low and slowly stir in the sour cream, one tablespoon at a time.
Serve with white rice and garnish with green onions, freshly shredded cheese, and cracked pepper.  Sprinkle salt on top if needed.

 

 

(first posted 2017)

New Year Brunch: charcoal grilled ribeyes, seasoned fried eggs, and parmesan roasted asparagus with garlic-rubbed toast

 

I usually make this on the first weekend of the new year.  By then, you've had time to shake off the haze from New Years Eve and you can turn your attention to the 364 days that remain:  impossible resolutions already discarded for doable ones; possibilities and opportunities abound in front of you.  Time to sit down and contemplate your next move. Let it be brunch.

It’s classic steak and eggs, but so much better:  charcoal grilled ribeyes, seasoned fried eggs, and parmesan roasted asparagus, with garlic-rubbed toast to get every last bit of yolk (and goodness) on your plate.  Serve it with a chilled bottle of bubbly prosecco to usher in your fabulous new year and 2025 isn’t starting out so bad. 

Stick with me, kid…I know things :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

serves 2

2 ribeye steaks 

1 pound asparagus, trimmed

2 eggs

1 baguette

1 garlic clove, peeled and cut flat on one side

1/2 tablespoon butter

grated parmesan cheese

olive oil

salt/pepper/garlic powder

seasoned salt (I use Lawry's)

charcoal (if you want to use a propane grill, that works too!)

Light charcoal and prepare grill.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Rub steaks with a little olive oil, and season with salt/pepper/garlic powder.  Cut baguette into slices and drizzle with olive oil.  Set aside.

Drizzle olive oil on asparagus and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.

Roast in 350 degree oven until crisp tender, approx 25 minutes depending on how thick the stalks are.  When done, sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

roasted asparagus

In the meantime, grill steaks (I like mine medium rare) and bread.  The bread only takes a few minutes, just enough to get nice char marks.   When done, remove and cover the steak to rest while you make the eggs.  Rub one side of the grilled bread with the cut garlic clove. 

Melt butter in non-stick pan.  Make fried eggs.  While eggs are cooking, sprinkle with seasoned salt.

Assemble all on plate, open your chilled prosecco, and serve

(first published 12/20)